Stealth
by deadgirlwalkingthehalls
Summary: Post Always fic. Begins the morning after. Castle and Beckett attempt to hide their new relationship from their family and friends. How does it go?
1. Chapter 1

**Castle and Beckett try and hide their relationship from their family and friends. How does it go? Starts from the morning after (4x23 - Always)**

As Kate slowly woke she stretched out her limbs feeling twinges of pain all over her body. She rolled over onto her front and stretched her arms to the side. Her hand came into contact with something warm and she quickly pulled it back in shock. Her mind went into instant panic as she thought 'Oh god! What have I done? How could I have slept with someone?' She felt the warm body next to her shift and move closer, wrapping a hand around her waist and rubbing a thumb up and down the underside of her breast. She kept her eyes firmly closed as she felt the person next to her push her hair away from her back and kiss her shoulder softly. That smell. She knew that smell. The man pressed a kiss to her temple next and she felt his warm breath on her cheek. Suddenly, it all came flooding back. Castle. The fight, her sore muscles, the rain, the swing-set, showing up at his door, she kissed him, he kissed her, and the sex, how could she forget the sex?

She relaxed her body into his mattress as the hand that was round her waist moved to her back as she felt him trace letters with his finger. His delicate touch sent a shiver down her spine but she kept her eyes closed still, enjoying the morning bliss of being wrapped up in Castle's bed. Castle meanwhile was enjoying watching the sleeping detective pretend to be asleep. He started to write her a message. The letter 'I' came first then 'K' until he'd spelled out 'I know you're awake'. He watched with a smirk on his face as she tried not to grin. She slowly opened her eyes to see Castle resting on one elbow watching her.

'You know it's kind of creepy when you watch me sleep,' she croaked out, groggily, her voice still sleep-laden.

'I was simply marvelling at how well you suit my bed, my dear detective,' he smiled down as her. She rolled onto her back and stretched again, not bothering to pull up the sheet that was dangerously low on her stomach and smiled at him. He sucked in a gasp of air as she watched his eyes roam her body before forcing them to focus on her face which was at that moment, flushed pink. 'Morning,' he said softly, leaning down to kiss her gently as he felt her sigh into his mouth as their lips met.

'Mmm' she hummed, against his lips. 'Morning,' she replied shyly. His eyes flitted down her body again and then back up to her face which had once again turned to a shade of pink. Her hair was curly and messy from the rain the previous night and she imagined she had mascara smudged under her eyes. All in all, she could have looked better. She looked up to Castle's face to see his eyes shining with such adoration and love before biting between her teeth and moving closer to him until she could bury her head in the crook of his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his neck and the fluttering of her eyelashes on his skin as he cradled her warm body to his, sighing contently. 'I didn't leave,' she whispered into his neck as she snuggled as close to him as possible. Richard Castle looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms and laughed to himself; he never thought Kate Beckett would be a cuddler. He rested his head on top of hers and breathed in her hair. Cherries. 'I know,' he said. That was all that needed to be said about it. She didn't leave, she was still here; she didn't run. She felt him run his foot down her calf and slide it between her legs until they were tangled from head to toe.

Of course, her stomach had to ruin the moment. It let out a loud grumble and she let out a laugh, tickling his neck. She raised her head to look sleepily into his eyes, at his grinning face. 'Someone's hungry. When was the last time you ate something?' He said, moving one of his hands down to rest atop her stomach.

Her breath hitched as his pinkie brushed the edge of her hipbone and then dipped dangerously low.

'I don't remember,' she said sheepishly. She pulled her lip between her teeth, worried that he'd be angry at her. His face turned into a frown as he moved his finger to her lip, pulling it out from between her teeth.

'Kate,' he said, still frowning. 'You need to look after yourself properly. I worry about you,' He said quietly, looking away. Her hands come up to cup his cheeks and pull his head so it faces her.

'I know. I'm sorry Rick. Just, putting myself first isn't something I'm used to, but I'm trying. I promise. I'll try...' she didn't get to finish her sentence before he cut her off with a bruising kiss, swiping her bottom lip with his tongue as her mouth opened willingly, granting him access. He shifted slightly until he rested above her before pulling away from her mouth and peppering kisses on her neck. She gasped as he hit a sensitive spot on her neck, before placing kisses along her collarbone and then down her chest to press one at her scar. He then circles her breasts as she arched into him, letting out a breathy moan as he trailed kisses down her stomach getting closer to where she wanted him. 'Rick please,' she moaned as he placed a kiss on the inside of her thigh before moving down her leg to kiss behind her knee. 'God, you're such a tease Castle,' she grumbled.

'Oh, so we're back to Castle now are we,' he mumbled onto her skin as he moved up the inside of her other thigh. As he was about to reach exactly where she wanted him her stomach let out another grumble. Castle let out a breathy laugh against her thigh and looked up at her. Her eyes were lidded and her cheeks flushed. Her stomach let out another growl and she looked down embarrassed and before she knew it, he had scooped her up in his arms and was moving them away from the bed. Her arms immediately went into a death grip round his neck; even though she knew he'd never let her fall.

'Castle! Castle! Put me down! What are you doing?' Beckett cried out in between laughing and struggling against him. 'Rick please,' she laughed. They both thought bad to the last time he had carried her out of the hanger and she had said that. This wasn't the time for sadness though so he placed a soft kiss to her hair and gently placed her on the floor as she griped his shoulders for balance.

'You were hungry,' he said simply, with his usual boyish grin on his face. 'And it's breakfast time.' Beckett looked up at him, noticing the height difference as she wasn't in her usual heels. Their eyes met as her face broke out into a smile. She couldn't stop smiling and she knew she was starting to blush so instead she leant forwards and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms round his neck, as his hands went to her hips and pulled them flush together. They broke apart panting slightly, their foreheads leaning against each other. They were both getting used to being able to kiss and touch each other without it feeling strange.

'I should probably put some clothes on,' Beckett smirked, turning so that he had a view of her arse.

'But Kate,' he whined. 'I like you so much better naked!' He moaned coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. He started kissing her spine before nuzzling into her neck to smell her unique scent.

'Castle, as much as I'd like to remain naked all day. What if Alexis or Martha were to come home and find me naked in your apartment?' She asked him, pulling on his shirt from the night before which had been discarded in their frantic rush to get to the bedroom. She buttoned it up loosely so that it hung off one shoulder and fell to the middle of her thighs. She turned in his arms, pecked him quickly on the lips and plucked his boxers from the floor, holding them out to him to put on. 'Come on Castle, I need my coffee,' she smirked, grabbing his hand and pulling them out of his bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Castle flipped the sizzling pancakes before rummaging around in the cupboard to get out plates. He set them down on the side and poured himself another cup of coffee. Turning to his right he looked at Kate who was perched on the marble surface, swinging her legs backwards and forwards. She had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply the smell of her coffee, which she was gripping firmly between her hands.

'You know Castle, you're right, you do make the best coffee,' she hummed in approval, raising the mug to her lips and draining it. 'I could live off it,' she smiled setting her mug down next to her.

'You practically do. You're addicted to it,' Castle retorted. 'That's why you're so thin, because you fill yourself up on coffee all the time,' he smirked at her poking her in the stomach with his finger. She giggled and wriggled away from him. He stopped what he was doing to turn and stare at her. 'Beckett, are you ticklish?' Castle asked with his mouth open in surprise.

'No!' Kate cried out, possible a bit too quickly. She watched Castle calmly put down the spatula he was using and move towards her. She quickly realised what he was about to do before squealing and jumping off the counter. He caught up with her surprisingly quickly before pulling her down onto the sofa and straddling her. His hands roamed under his shirt she was wearing before grasping her ribs and tickling her. 'Castle! No! Stop! I can't!' she laughed hysterically as she squirmed underneath him. She was laughing so uncontrollably that he started to laugh too and before long they were a mess of tangled limbs, quaking in laughter. Their laughter slowly subsided as Castle stopped tickling her and they were left grinning at each other.

'I love to see you laugh like that,' he said quietly before running his hands up and down her sides gently. She beamed at him before locking her arms round his waist and pulling him down on top of her with a grunt. Her lips found his and she could feel him smiling against her as they shared sweet kisses, between laughing and small bouts of tickling each other. Getting lost in each other, Castle suddenly leapt to his feet shouting,

'Pancakes. Shit they're going to burn!' Castle ran over to the griddle before turning it off and speedily turning the pancakes onto the plate. He smiled triumphantly at his rescue before looking over to Beckett who was walking slowly towards him grinning.

'Good save superman,' She teased as she jumped up onto one of his bar stools on the opposite side of the kitchen island. She raised an eyebrow before reaching across the counter to grab a pancake, pouring a huge dollop of syrup in the centre. Castle simply shook his head at her before sliding onto the seat opposite and tucking in.

'So,' Kate began through a mouthful of food. She swallowed and started again. 'What are we going to tell everyone? About this... about us?' She looked up at him through her lashes nervously. Castle placed down his knife and fork before placing his hands together in front of him. He could see the panic flashing in her eyes and he reached across the counter to tuck a lose strand of hair behind her ear, trying to soothe her emotions.

'I think, that right now, we don't need the additional pressures of everyone else, especially seeing as this is so very new. So, if it's all right with you, I'd like to keep this between us for the moment.' He saw relief flash in her eyes. She reached forward to clasp one of his hands between hers before saying,

'Rick, it's not that I don't want people to know about us, it's just that I'm scared I'll run as soon as things aren't perfect and I need you to stop me but I don't know if I can do all that while everyone is scrutinising our relationship. My wall is finally down and I've worked so hard to be better for you, for us, so basically I don't want to mess this up.' She burbled out. He looked at her and noticed her eyes shining with unshed tears and his breath caught in his throat.

'You are already perfect. You couldn't be better and I'm so proud of you for breaking down this wall and I love you so much,' his eyes were now shining too and he couldn't stand the distance before he walked round the island and she pulled him between her thighs and gripped onto him. She hugged him to her as their hands simultaneously rubbed each others backs, sniffing and laughing at their emotional inability to deal with this. 'God, you're right, I am so metrosexual,' he laughed pulling back before leaning in a nuzzling her nose with his. Her ankles locked round his hips pulling him even closer as they shared a sweet but brief kiss.

'I think we're doing the right thing by keeping this between us and besides, I don't think I'm ready to share my girlfriend with the rest of the world. They'd be too jealous that I have her all to myself,' he grinned before kissing a path from below her ear down to her shoulder. He felt her freeze and go rigid in his arms.

'Girlfriend?' she spoke quietly, her eyes wide and questioning.

'Yes, girlfriend,' Castle replied simply staring into her eyes. His insides were clenching in fear as he chanted to himself repeatedly 'Don't run, don't run, don't run, please don't run.' He watched her stay still for a moment before she sighed and reached up, pushing his hair back from his forehead and running her fingers through it.

'Well I suppose it is a good thing knowing that the only chest my boyfriend will be sighing from now on, is mine,' she smiled back timidly. She felt him relax against her before pulling her in for a bruising kiss. He broke their kiss before returning to the spot on her shoulder and unbuttoning the top buttons on her shirt to give himself greater access to her body. He heard her gasp as he pressed a kiss to the top of her breast and another as he ran his hands along the insides of her thighs. They continued to kiss and touch each other until Beckett mumbled out,

'Mmm Castle we've got to stop. I thought you had lunch with Alexis soon. I don't want her walking in and seeing us having sex on your kitchen counter,' she said breathlessly, putting her hands firmly on his chest and giving him a small push.

'Beckett,' Castle whimpered, rubbing his hands down her sides. He watched her skin erupt in goose bumps as she shivered at his touch. 'You always stop us at the good part,' he mumbled between kisses.

'I'm sorry Castle,' she replied kissing him. She couldn't get enough of him; she wasn't used to being able to kiss him whenever she wanted. She looked down to see his shirt half off her and a very visible tent in his boxers.

'Kate you can't keep leaving me hanging like this or I'm going to have to take care of it myself,' he gestured towards his boxers. She smirked before running a hand down his front and cupping him gently through the material. He groaned before thrusting slightly into her palm.

'Rick, what do you say we continue this in the shower,' she murmured in his ear before locking her heels even more firmly round his waist as her hips came into contact with his. They both let out gasps and Castle felt his legs weaken.

'Shower it is,' he said putting his hands round her waist as they stumbled back towards his bathroom. She felt her back hit the cold shower door and she gasped into his mouth at the feel of the cold glass. He reached into the shower and turned it on. He made sure she was steadied against the door before undoing the rest of the buttons and pushing it off her shoulders as she used one hand to push his boxers down. She felt him climb into the shower and she felt the warm spray of water run down her body. He gently placed her shaky legs down and picked up the bottle of shampoo, squeezing a dollop out before running it through her hair. She hummed in approval and closed her eyes as he slowly worked his way through her tangled hair before gently pulling her under the spray to wash it out. She repeated the action for him and the picked up the wash cloth and started to wash his body.

'Let's see if we can help you out here,' she said, pointing at his fully visible erection. Her nails raked down his chest before palming him. She could feel him throbbing as she sank to her knees and licked him up and down like a lolly pop. She took him fully in her mouth and bobbed up and down until he came in her mouth. She raised herself from the floor of the shower to kiss him fully on the lips. His hand slowly snaked down over her stomach until it reached her centre as she gasped and her knees weakened. Castle recognised her inability to stand properly and wrapped a hand around her waist to keep her upright as he slipped a finger into her. Her eyes rolled back as her head dropped onto his shoulder. He pumped in and out of her until she came crying out his name. She kept her head resting on his shoulder, panting and nuzzling against his neck. The water had started to get cold by this point so Castle reached behind him and turned it off. He looked down at Kate who was still relying on him completely, with her eyes closed and her hand gripping his shoulder. He used the hand wrapped round her waist to lift her slightly before pulling them both out the shower, grabbing a towel on his way out. He wrapped the towel around her shoulders, rubbing down her arms. He could feel her warm breath against his neck.

'I need a nap,' he felt her smile against him. 'We were meant to be hurrying Rick, not making me fall asleep in your shower,' she murmured. He grinned as he slowly dried her before combing his hands through her hair, gently easing out the knots. She hummed in pleasure and slowly raised her head to look at him, her happiness shining through her heavily lidded eyes.

'You're even more adorable when you're sleepy than when you're angry,' he spoke sincerely as they made their way into his bedroom. Castle donned a pair of sweatpants and a jumper as Kate struggled into her damp clothes from the night before. They both kept sneaking glances at each other resulting in then being caught out staring as they laughed at each other. After dressing, they made their way to Castle's front door.

'Have fun with Alexis,' she smiled up at him, leaning back against the door. He leant towards her, bracing himself either side of her shoulders.

'Thank you. I'm going to miss you,' he told her, a flash of fear shining in his eyes. He was scared she was going to run every time he displayed intense emotions. He quickly schooled his features before putting on his usual grin.

'I'm going to miss you too Rick,' she replied. 'Can I come over tonight, or will Alexis and Martha be here?' she asked. Despite her insecurity, Kate decided to take the lead on this one and let out a shaky breath as she saw the joy in Castle's eyes at her forwardness.

'You can come, I think Alexis has a 'going away' slumber party with Paige planned,' he said making a face. She laughed at his inability to understand his daughter's plans before leaning up to capture his lips. They eventually broke apart. 'That was one hell of a goodbye kiss.'

'Oh shut up Rick, you're such a drama queen. We're going to be apart for a few hours, not years!' she laughed at him before reaching up to cup his cheek. 'I'll see you later. I-' she started to say but couldn't finish. I love you. How hard is it to say? She closed her open mouth and pressed a firm kiss to his lips. He opened the door and watched her slip down the corridor as they both gave a small wave.

**Sorry I know we haven't had any interaction with the rest of the gang/family but that will be coming soon. Definitely in the next chapter. Please review – I'm nervous as it's my first Castle fic. **


	3. Chapter 3

Castle stood there, not knowing what to do with himself. Beckett had just left and he missed her already. At that moment Alexis chose to breeze through the door, her smile faltering slightly when she saw her dad standing in the middle of their living room, not doing anything.

'Dad, what are you doing?' She frowned, dumping her bag and coat by the door. Castle quickly jumped to life, walking round his couch to bring his daughter into a bone crushing hug.

'Alexis, you're home earlier than I thought you'd be! How was your evening?' He asked, thinking about how much of a close call that had been. He steered her towards the breakfast bar, suddenly noticing that he'd left his and Beckett's coffee mugs out. He inwardly cringed and hoped his daughter wouldn't notice.

'Dad, I know you said you'd be fine last night, but you don't have to lie to me,' She sighed looking up at him, shining her usual puppy-dog eyes at him.

'Alexis I was fine, really. I promise,' He replied, looking confused at her.

'Dad, you don't have to lie to me! I know that you barely slept last night. There are two coffee mugs out and you never have two cups unless you're super tired and when I walked in, you were just standing, staring.' She embraced him again. Castle thought this might be the perfect opportunity to disguise his new relationship with Beckett. Alexis was his daughter after all, she'd work this sort of stuff out pretty quickly. He pulled away from her before saying,

'Ok sweetie, it wasn't the best of nights but I'm glad you're home now,' He gave her a sad smile, getting into character, secretly laughing to himself.

'Oh dad, I'm going to stay home tonight. We can spend some time together; you need me more than Paige does!' She grinned up at him.

'NO.' He yelled a little too quickly. Alexis frowned up at him with her mouth open in surprise, a look of hurt flashing across her face, before starting to pull away. 'Oh sweetie, no I don't mean I don't want to spend time with you, it's just that I don't want you to be saddled with your old dad when you could be out with your friends having fun!' He babbled. All he could think about was Kate; he could still taste her and smell her, all he wanted was to see her again. His heart physically hurt thinking about her. He felt bad rejecting Alexis but they could spend time together another time, but it was all so new with Kate and he wanted to make sure they worked out. He was addicted to her already.

'Ok...Dad are you sure you're ok? Is there something you're not telling me? You're acting weird.' She sat down, raising her eye brow at him. Castle quickly shot back a grin, quickly depositing the mugs in the sink and running his hands through his hair.

'Really, I'm fine. I'll probably do another movie night. Maybe Lord of the Rings this time. What do you think? Anyway let me change quickly and then we can head out,' He said as he headed towards his bedroom.

'Sure dad.' She replied, still frowning at him but feeling slightly more positive that he wasn't about to have a nervous breakdown. 'I want to charge my camera so Paige and I can take some pictures tonight. Do you know where the charger is?' She asked.

'I think it's in my office desk pumpkin,' he shouted through his bedroom door. Castle was pulling on his jeans when his phone buzzed with a text message. Beckett. He smiled and opened it.

'_**Did you by any chance find my panties?'**_

His eyes bulged out of his head. She went home without any on. Oh god he was going to need another shower. He quickly sent back a reply.

'_**Please don't tell me you're going commando at the moment.' **_Her reply buzzed through a minute later.

'_**;) no but seriously Castle, did you find them?'**_

Yep. He was definitely going to need that shower. He had a quick scan of his bedroom but couldn't see them anywhere. He shrugged and sent back his reply.

'**Sorry, nope. But I'm not complaining if you ever decide to not wear them again ;)'** He smirked, pulling on his coat.

'DAAAADDDD. Oh my God. Can you please not leave things like this lying around the house?' He heard Alexis groan. He wondered what she was talking about as he walked into his office to find his daughter holding Detective Beckett's panties on the end of a pencil. His face blushed crimson as he stuttered for words to explain this to his daughter.

'Err, um sorry. Um, yes, those. Um are from ages ago. Sorry. Sorry,' He stuttered out. Alexis gestured for him to take them and he hastily grabbed the scrap of lace off the end of the pencil and pocketed them quickly.

'Ok I'm going to forget this ever happened and go and freshen up real quick before we go,' she said, grimacing at him as she ran up the stairs. As soon as she disappeared, Castle let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He picked up his phone and pressed his speed dial. She picked up after the second ring.

'I've found them,' He told her.

'Good, thanks. Why are you calling me Castle? Not that I don't want to talk to you,' She asked. He could hear the chuckle in her voice.

'Well. I lied actually. I didn't find them. Alexis did, in my office.' He said. There was a long pause before she simply uttered,

'Shit. Rick, are you joking? What did you say? What did she say? Does she know they're mine? Oh god, Castle,' She panicked down the phone. He could see she was on the verge of a mini mental breakdown so he hushed her.

'Kate, calm down. I've got them now. She doesn't know they're yours. She was just a bit grossed out.' Stop worrying.

'Ok, thank god. Sorry.' She murmured back. There was silence on both ends where both of them were breathing heavily. 'I miss you,' She whispered to him, scared she was revealing too much of her emotions. He sighed deeply too.

'Oh Kate, I miss you already. I wish I could see you now,' He whispered back, hearing her hum in agreement.

'I'll see you later though. Only a few hours.' She told him. God, she never thought she'd be so dependent on a man, literally not knowing what to do with herself without him. 'Have fun with Alexis, Castle. I'll see you later, ok?'

'Ok. See you later Kate,' he said smiling through the phone to her. He hung up and pocketed the phone as Alexis appeared.

'Ready?' He asked her.

'Yep,' She grinned back as he put his arm round her shoulders, shutting the door to the loft behind them.

**Sorry there isn't much to this chapter, Castle/Beckett wise. But next chapter should hold some Lanie/Kate interaction and maybe more if I have time – exams sorry! Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Kate sat with her face pressed into the couch, moaning occasionally at the thought of Alexis Castle finding her panties. She sat up after a while and looked down at herself. She suddenly realised that she was still wearing last night's damp clothes, her hair was wild from the rain, her make-up from yesterday was probably still smeared down her face and she was aching like crazy from her fight on the roof. She stood up slowly and groaned, gripping the edge of the couch in pain. Yes, she needed painkillers, a bath and come to think of it, one of Castle's books should do the trick.

Heading towards the bathroom, there was a knock on the door. She turned around slowly wincing again, suddenly realising quite how much pain she was in. A knock sounded again impatiently and Kate sighed.

'Just coming,' she said as she reached the door and pulled it open to find Lanie and Esposito standing on the other side.

'Kate Beckett! Where in the hell have you been?' Lanie shouted. Kate could literally see the smoke coming off her in anger and took a small step backwards. Kate opened her mouth to reply but before she could, Lanie launched into another rant.

'We have been looking for you all night! Where were you? Do you have any idea how worried we were? You almost fall of a building, then you resign and then you disappear! You don't answer your phone! God knows what could have happened to you! Are you ok?' She demanded furiously. The last couple of days suddenly caught up with Kate and she sagged against the door frame and sighed.

'I'm sorry Lanie. I'm fine really,' she said quietly. Esposito put a hand on Lanie's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

'Beckett, where were you? Seriously, we were really worried, we almost called your dad,' Esposito added, concern written all over his face.

'You didn't call him did you,' she asked, panic stricken. 'I'm really fine; you guys don't need to worry about me. I was just out, thinking,' she said vaguely, gesturing with her hand.

'The hell we don't Kate!' Lanie replied angrily. Her voice softened a little before saying, 'No we didn't call him Kate because we knew you wouldn't want to worry him but if we wouldn't have found you now, we would have done. Look I'm sorry for shouting sweetie, but don't scare me like that again!' She said, moving forward to pull Kate into a fierce hug. Kate hugged back, trying not to cry out in pain, from the pressure Lanie was putting on her bruised body.

'Kate, why are you wet?' Lanie asked, pulling back to frown at her.

'I um, got caught in the rain,' she lied, not meeting either of their eyes. They both frowned at her and then at each other, not believing her one bit but they knew Kate Beckett and they knew that if she didn't want to tell them something, she wouldn't.

'Are you sure you're ok?' Esposito asked again.

'Yeah, I'm fine, really. Just tired and a bit bruised but I'll live, honestly,' she replied, knowing that is they didn't leave soon, she'd be on the floor. Her legs were aching like mad and about to give way any second. She gritted her teeth in pain and gripped the door frame, forcing out a smile. They returned it hesitantly.

'Ok sweetie, but if you need anything, call. Ok?' Lanie continued, still looking worried. 'We'll be right over.'

'We?' Beckett questioned with a smirk on her face. They both blushed slightly and coughed to hide it.

'Ok Kate, well then, um, I guess I'll see you soon,' Lanie said turning away, this time she was the one to not meet Kate's eyes. Esposito followed before saying,

'Yo, and Beckett, answer your phone next time!' Esposito added as they turned down the corridor. As soon as she closed the door, Kate sunk to the floor with a loud groan. She tried to stand immediately but failed but after five minutes she managed to walk slowly, leaning on the wall until she reached the bathroom. She grabbed the painkillers off the shelf and took two speedily as the bath filled up. She rested on the toilet seat as she striped off her clothes and then climbed into the steaming bath. She hissed in pain as the water reached some of her scrapes and saw black spots when she accidentally banged her ribs on the side of the bath. Once she was finally settled in the bath, she didn't even get a chance to pick up Castle's book, before she fell asleep, exhausted.

A couple of hours later she stood in front of her wardrobe sighing. She'd spent the majority of the afternoon attempting to go back to sleep again and failing and decided that getting some more food in her might perk her up a bit. But now, she had to get dressed for tonight, which was going to be a problem. What was she going to wear? She must have tried on twenty different outfits, not feeling the pain as much as before, partly because she was running on painkillers and adrenaline. She sunk onto her bed, feeling slightly panicked. For goodness sake Kate, she scolded herself. It was just Castle. With that she decided on a pair of black jeans and a white blouse. She left her hair lose and wavy, feeling butterflies in her stomach at seeing him again.

She decided to take a cab, mostly due to the fact that driving wasn't really an option with her pain. She has brought a bag with her holding clothes for tomorrow. She didn't know if she was being presumptuous in assuming she would stay the night, but she wanted to be prepared.

Taking a deep breath she knocked on his door. He opened it almost immediately a huge grin on his face. He looked gorgeous, she thought. He was wearing a blue button down shirt, one that matched his eyes. She returned his smile as he leaned in to place a deep kiss on her lips. She immediately melted under his touch and swayed into him, groaning when he swiped his tongue over her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to him as their tongues met, greedily. He eventually pulled back, looking at her with glazed eyes. He trailed down her body to the bag she held in her hand. She stepped inside and he closed the door behind her.

'You look beautiful again,' He told her and she blushed and looked down, biting her lip.

'Thank you,' she mumbled. 'I didn't know if, well um, if I was um, going to be, um staying tonight so I um, brought some clothes with me,' she rambled off, not looking up at him, fearing his rejection. He could see her wariness and reached down to take her bag from her, ready to lead her into his bedroom to dump it there. She beamed up at him and he wrapped an arm round her waist, pulling her towards his room. What he hadn't realised was that she was still pretty tender in some places and therefore when she yelped in pain and sprung away from him, he turned wide eyed to stare at her.

'Oh my god. Kate did I hurt you. I'm so sorry. God, I'm sorry,' he rushed on, running his hand back through his hair. Kate regained her breath after the shock of the pain had subsided.

'Rick, shush no you didn't hurt me. I promise. It's just from yesterday,' She told him, leaning to one side to avoid pressure being put on her most sensitive spot, trying to smile at him warmly to convey her feelings.

'From me?' he asked in a small voice, referring to their, at times, rough bouts of sex in the night.

'God no!' she gasped. 'Last night was...' she searched for the right word. 'Perfect.' There you go. 'They're from the roof,' she replied.

'They?' He cried. 'How hurt are you?' He asked concerned, moving towards her but stopping afraid of hurting her.

'Hey, I won't break. You can touch me you know. Just some,' she lied, not meeting his eyes, looking at the floor.

'Katherine Beckett, tell me the truth.' He asked her. He softened his voice before reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear and cupping her cheek. 'I just want to help you, I hate seeing you hurting. Please,' he asked, gently. She could feel the painkillers starting to wear off again and was so tired of putting on a brave front for everyone. She sagged towards his hand and reached up to grab onto his shirt, wincing in pain at the movement.

'They're fucking killing me,' she laughed out, moving her head to rest on his shoulder. She hated being this reliant on someone; she needed to be in control. She was just in too much pain. 'You got any painkillers Castle?' She asked into his neck.

'Of course and I'll do you one better,' he said, gently placing a hand on her back and leading her through his bedroom into his bathroom. He fished two pills out of the bottle and handed them to her with a glass of water. She gulped them down gratefully. He gently pushed her down onto the toilet seat to rest while he turned on the taps of his Jacuzzi style bath tub and let it slowly fill up.

'Castle, I don't need a bath. I've had one already today,' she frowned up at him.

'Kate, the more times you soak your muscles and relax the faster you're going to heal. So yes, you're having another bath,' he told her firmly. 'You're going to let me take care of you for once in your life,' he added, bending down to place a kiss on her furrowed brow. She moaned up at him. 'Don't whine Kate, you're not a child,' he smirked at her.

'Fine,' she huffed, crossing her arms. 'But I'll only have one if you come in too,' she added, with a sexy smile on her face. He couldn't help but grin back at her, shaking his head slightly at her mischievous side. She reached forward, grabbing his belt loop holes, pulling his until her head was level with his stomach. Both her hands reached to unbutton his trousers and unzip him. As she was doing this a jolt of pain shot through her back and she tried to disguise it. Seeing this, Castle gently pushed her hands away. A hurt look flashed across her face as she yanked her hands away from him, her face burning. Oh god, she thought he didn't want her.

'Kate,' he said gently. She turned her head away from him and he could see her eyes glazing over with unshed tears. She was exhausted, in pain and Castle didn't want her. He was probably sick of looking after her and found her disgusting. She made a move to stand up but he pushed her back gently. 'Kate,' he said again. She still wouldn't look at him. He sighed again and put his finger under her chin to turn her head to face him. 'You're in pain, you're so tired, but you're still so so beautiful and I don't ever want you to doubt that I want you. God I want you so much. But I refuse to hurt you,' he continued, not breaking eye contact. 'So, we're going to get undressed, get into the bath, you're going to let me take care of you because I love you.' He said firmly. She took in a shaky breath, her lips quivering. He watched as she tried to control herself but a tear still managed to escape down her cheek. He leant forward and kissed it away, tasting the salt on his tongue.

She nodded and looked at him shyly, before giving him a small smile. He pulled off his clothes first, dropping them on the floor, watching her watch him. Once he was finished he slowly unbuttoned her blouse, slipping it over her shoulders. She heard him take in a sharp intake of breath. Kate knew what she looked like. Black and blue all over; it wasn't a pretty sight. He unclasped her bra and dropped it to the floor then moved down to her jeans, pulling the skin-tight objects off as painlessly as possible, trying to ignore her gasps of pain.

When they were both finally naked, he helped her stand, staring at her body. She thought he was looking at her because of her bruises so she moved to cover herself up. Rick quickly stopped her.

'God you're gorgeous,' he stated, rubbing his hands softly up and down her arms. He helped her step into the warm water, helping her to lower her aching body down. He stepped in behind her, lowering himself down and gently wrapping his arms around her middle and easing her back until she fit in between his legs, tight against his back. She hummed in pleasure and rested her hands on top of his.

They talked and talked about anything and everything for what seemed like hours until the water was nearly cold. It was then that Castle brought up Alexis.

'I want to tell Alexis about us,' he blurted out, burying his face in her neck, inhaling her scent, slightly scared of her reaction. 'It's just that when I was with her earlier, I felt so guilty about keeping it from her. He felt Kate pull away from him. Oh great, he though, he's blown it. She rotated in his arms, laughing to herself when she saw Castle with his face screwed up.

'Castle, what are you doing?' she asked, smiling at him.

'I'm closing my eyes so I don't have to watch you leave because I screwed it up,' he replied, still not opening his eyes.

'Castle, you can open your eyes, I'm not going anywhere,' she said softly. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing her smiling calmly at him.

'You're not mad?' he questioned.

'Nope, I think we should too. I've been thinking about it and it isn't fair to her,' she replied.

'Ok,' he said as his face broke out into a grin. 'Good, we'll tell her tomorrow.' Kate smiled back at him before her face turned into a frown. 'What's wrong?' he asked.

'I um, I've been thinking about something too,' she said looking down. 'I think I should go and see Gates,' she said quietly. Oh no, she's going to break-up with me, Castle thought.

'Sorry, I wasn't expecting that!' he said with his eyes bulging out of his head. 'You want to talk to Gates, about what exactly?' She looked up at him nervously; bringing a hand to her mouth as she chewed on the skin at the edge of her thumb.

'Well, I sort of feel bad about going against her and everything and,' she trailed off, worrying that Castle was going to be angry at her.

'and,' he finished, lifting her chin up to face him.

'I miss my job Rick,' she finished quietly. 'I think that apologising is going to be the only way I can get it back, if I can get it back.' He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off rambling, 'I know you probably think that it's a good thing that I resigned and don't want me going back but I'm gonna leave my mom's case alone, I promise.' Rick sighed and dropped his head, rubbing a wet hand over his jaw.

'Ok,' he replied.

'Ok?' she asked him, surprised at his reply. He put his hands out to wrap around her elbows, pulling her forwards until they were pressed tightly against each other.

'Ok. I know you love your job Kate and I know nothing can stop you from going back and I'm still going to worry all the time,' at that Kate's face broke out into a small smile 'but I just want you to be careful, because I don't know what I'd do without you. Ok?' he continued.

She leant the short distance between them and found his mouth. They shared a sweet kiss, acknowledging the what could have been painful discussion.

'Now come on superman, get me out of this bath, I'm already like a prune,' she grinned, pushing his chest gently and gradually standing, feeling much better after the long soak.

'Oh but Kate, I love prunes,' he said deadpan, joining her, standing. He held her hands to help her over the edge. He wrapped her in a fluffy towel.

She replied, 'I bet you do.'

**I wanted to say a big thank you to anyone who has reviewed so far, I appreciate it so much! **

**Also I know this story was originally going to be hiding the relationship from family and friends but I've been thinking and as one kind reviewer pointed out, would Castle really keep it a secret from Alexis? But don't worry everyone else will still be kept in the dark, for the moment anyway.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies for the long wait for this chapter. I'm in the middle of exams so life is a little hectic but I'll do my best to update you with another chapter by the end of next week.**

Kate was sitting curled up in Castle's lap as he pulled his fingers gently through her damp hair. She was dressed in a pair of his sweatpants and one of his old jumpers that was far too big for her.

'What time will Alexis be home tomorrow?' she yawned, snuggling further into Castle's side.

'Around eleven I think. Hopefully, if she takes it well, we could all go for brunch?' He asked her. Kate lifted herself up, still wincing, despite the hot bath. She stayed as close to him as possible but raised her head so she could look into his eyes.

'Mmm sounds good,' she replied. He watched her think deeply as she reached up to chew on her thumb nail again.

'What's wrong Kate,' he frowned at her. 'I thought you said you wanted to tell her?' He questioned, confused. She sighed deeply, not quite meeting his eyes.

'Oh Rick I do. She deserves to know, she's your daughter and I don't want to keep things from her,' She replied.

'Then what?' he asked, still confused.

'I think she hates me,' she said in a tiny voice, looking down at her lap. Castle sat up straighter, turning to face her, his face etched with worry. He lifted her chin so she would look at him.

'Why do you think that? She looks up to you Kate,' he told her.

'Not anymore Rick. She blames me, for everything. I take you away from her, and I put you in danger and to be honest I don't blame her and after the whole bank robbery thing...' She rambled on.

'What bank robbery thing?' he asked. She didn't answer, just turned away, embarrassed. 'Kate,' he pressed. She sighed again and looked up at him.

'Alexis may have yelled at me that day. She got really mad and told me I better get you out safely,' she told him.

'Sorry, my daughter, yelled?' he asked disbelieving.

'It was the stress Castle. She was worried sick, you and Martha were in there, you're all she has. God, I was almost having a breakdown, I can't imagine what she must have been feeling,' Kate shared with him. 'And we haven't really had a chance to talk much after that, apart from having quick interactions at crime scenes or her overhearing us argue about your sex life at the morgue.' She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

'Look Kate, she's older now, she understands that this,' he said gesturing between them, 'is different. We're not just fooling around and she's going to have to respect us.' He told her firmly.

'I don't want to come between you and I don't want to be at war with her either,' she stated.

'You won't be,' he said leaning in to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. 'We're going to talk to her, together and she's going to accept it. Who knows, she might be completely fine with it.' He smiled at her. She still looked worried so he placed a bruising kiss against her lips and gently pushed her down onto the couch. 'But for now, I don't particularly want to be thinking about my daughter when I do this to you,' he smirked up at her.

'Do what?' she said with a shaky voice as his hands wandered all over her body.

'This,' he said as his hand quickly slipped inside his sweats and then inside her panties and finally deep into her. She gasped and rocked her hips up towards his hand.

'You, Richard Castle, are an evil man,' she groaned as he added another finger, earning a whimper. She wriggled her hips in a desperate attempt for him to move his fingers; instead he placed a hand gently on her stomach to hold her in place. 'Castle, move,' she looked up at him hovering above her, still grinning.

'Nope,' he said enjoying the power he had. He moved his hand slightly but then stopped quickly again, giving Kate barely enough friction to satisfy her. She whined and tried to wriggle again, slowly realising that it was useless and he was in control.

'Castle, move,' she told him again, breathing heavily, trying to buck her hips to create some of the sensations she was trying desperately to create.

'What's the magic word Beckett?' he leaned in until her was millimetres away from her face. His fingers moved again, this time even less than before and she groaned in frustration.

'I'm not begging Castle,' she told him firmly, again trying to rock her hips against his hand which was still holding her firmly in place. He slowly started to withdraw his hand, now she could only feel the tips of his fingers inside her. She hummed in disapproval.

'All you have to do in say it,' he whispered to her, slowly placing a gentle kiss against her lips. She caught him off guard as she bucked her hips forward, making his fingers slide into her another inch. She groaned in pleasure. Kate couldn't take much more of this.

'Castle, if you don't do anything about it, then I'm going to have to do it myself,' she told him, furiously.

'Well detective,' he smiled at her against her neck, where he was placing kisses. 'As much as I'd like to see you do that another time, now it's my turn and all I want you to do is ask,' he rose back up again, removing his fingers almost completely and this time, brushing his thumb over her sensitive nub, earning another groan from her. She needed to come, now.

'Fine. Fuck you, Castle, move PLEASE,' she said desperately and with that he firmly thrust his two fingers inside, curling them up to reach her G-spot. She gasped as her eyes rolled back in pleasure. 'More,' she gasped out as his fingers pushed a little harder into her. He moved them backwards and forwards in a scissoring motion, thoroughly enjoying the grunts and moans leaving her mouth. 'Castle I need to come,' she said desperately, bucking her hips against him again. He finally lets her have her way as he thrusts his fingers twice more inside her before she's clenches around them and whimpers his name as she comes.

Kate turned her head to the side, breathing heavily as Rick removed his hand and pushed back her hair from her forehead. He could see a thin sheen of sweat covering her face, neck and chest and he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her scar. She hummed into him and nuzzled her head into his arm.

'Castle, you gotta stop making me want to take a nap,' she joked, her words slurring slightly from the pleasure he just inflicted on her. He let out a small laugh and pushed himself off the couch.

'Right, we've got to feed you now,' he grinned down at her.

'I'm not an animal Castle,' she replied through heavily lidded eyes.

'I think if you were an animal, you'd be a very sexy tiger,' he teased, kneeling down next to her. She let out a short laugh and feebly pushed him away.

'I'm going to order in. What do you want? Chinese, Italian?' he asked. She rolled over until she was on her side, her face millimetres from his. She sighed deeply.

'I don't mind, you choose,' she yawned at him, reaching a hand out to grasp his shirt and pull him in for a sloppy kiss. They broke apart slowly.

'I'll order a bit of everything then,' he smiled down at her, rising and walking over to the phone.

'Of course you will,' she smirked through closed eyes. Castle made a few calls before walking back over to her. She was still stretched out across the couch. As he grew nearer he could see that she was indeed asleep, with her mouth slightly open, breathing heavily. He looked down at the sight before him, entranced by her. She was so different when she was asleep. She looked so peaceful and content. Rick quickly snapped a picture on his phone for teasing purposes or blackmail when he next needed it.

Rick got out his laptop and sat on the armchair next to her and began writing. He was feeling particularly inspired by the beautiful woman sleeping next to him. He quickly got lost in his work and half an hour later there was a knock on the door. He swiftly paid the delivery boy and carried the food to the coffee table. He put it all down as quietly as possible but he saw Kate move out of the corner of his eye and stretch and yawn like a cat.

'Nice sleep?' he smirked at her, leaning down to brush hair out of her face. 'Food is here.'

'Yummy and I wasn't sleeping, I was just resting my eyes,' she told him.

'Sure Beckett, sure,' he replied, handing her some chopsticks and some spring rolls and sitting down opposite her. They ate in comfortable silence until they were stuffed. Kate put down the left-overs and leant back into the couch, resting her hand on her stomach.

'Ugh food baby,' she groaned, rubbing her hand across her stomach. Castle scoffed before moving to sit next to her. He sat with a small distance from her and a look of hurt and confusion crossed her face. He saw the confusion across her face and nudged her hand, resting next to his on the couch. He linked their pinkie fingers and gave her a hesitant smile. That was all it took for her to lean right into him and rest her head on his shoulder.

'Come on superman, you still owe me that movie night you promised,' she mumbled into his shoulder.

'I love it when you call me superman,' he replied, grinning proudly at her. She laughed and pushed him down onto the cushions and snuggled on top of him again. They started to watch and before long they were both fast asleep, sprawled along the couch. Kate was mostly on top of Castle with her leg swung over his hip and her head resting on his chest and he had a hand resting securely on her hip and another arm wrapped round her waist.

They were so deeply asleep that they were not aware of the door to the loft opening quietly and a figure padding softly across the room until it reached the couch. Martha looked down at the two sleeping forms before smiling at them and retreating upstairs to her bedroom to go to sleep.

This time it was Kate that woke first. They were still sprawled across his couch and Kate winced at sleeping in the same position all night. She slowly lifted her head off his chest and looked up at his sleeping face. His hair was ruffled and he had a sort of childish quality to him. She smiled sleepily at him and reached up to run her hand gently down the side of his face and through his hair. He stirred, wrinkled his nose and then stilled again. Kate chuckled and again reached to run her fingers, softly, along his lips and down his nose. He still didn't wake so she thought she'd go for a more direct approach and leant up and placed a soft kiss to his lips. She felt him grumble against her as she nipped gently at his lower lip and then continued to place soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She kissed the spot under his ear where she knew he had a weakness and felt him come to life.

'Katherine Beckett, are you giving me a hicky?' Rick asked her, his voice still laden with sleep. He reached both hands up to rub his eyes and stretched underneath her. She giggled and continued to suck on his neck. 'Not that I'm complaining or anything,' he said, moaning softly as her tongue slipped out to caress the small nips she was making on his neck.

She moved up to kiss his lips again, releasing them with a soft pop.

'Come on stud, I'm making you breakfast,' she grinned, slapping his chest and jumping to her feet. 'Pancakes ok?' she asked, already by the kitchen, banging around with the pots and pans. He watched her navigate her way around his kitchen. She knew where to find everything, probably due to the fact that she managed to cook a full cooked breakfast the time she stayed after her apartment got blown up. She started to mix the batter her brow furrowing with concentration. Suddenly she felt his arms wrap around her waist and leant back into him.

'You know you're kinda sexy when you go all domestic and start making breakfast for me,' he spoke into her neck nibbling down until he reached her collarbone. He found the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head as she turned in his arms and snaked her hands under his top to rub across his muscles. Soon enough his shirt was gone and she was lifted onto the counter. She linked her ankles around his waist and pulled him flush against her, groaning when their hips came into contact. He felt her hands wander down his lower abdomen and started to do the same.

A loud cough suddenly made then spring apart as Rick turned to steady himself against the fridge breathing heavily as Kate jumped down and grabbed her sweater before covering herself up. Martha was standing at the bottom of the stairs, smirking at them both.

Twin cries of 'Mother' and 'Martha' rang out in shock as they struggled to get their breath back and cover themselves back up.

'Mother, what are you doing here? I thought you were in the Hamptons?' Rick asked breathlessly as he put his top back on. Kate meanwhile was standing behind Rick, blushing furiously, enthralled by her feet or so it seemed.

'I was, until I received a call from Alexis saying that her father was acting strangely and she was worried. Now I can see why,' Martha replied, swirling around the island and reaching for a glass of orange juice. Castle grimaced and ran his hand over his jaw. 'Kate dear, you can come out. I can see you hiding behind Richard there,' she smiled warmly at her. Kate blushed even harder and took a step to the side putting her in full view.

'Hi Martha,' she said nervously. She was worried that Martha wouldn't be too friendly towards her after the past few months.

'Kate darling I heard about this last case? Are you alright?' she asked. Martha's concern overwhelmed Kate for a moment as she felt a lump in her throat. She blinked back her tears and croaked out her reply.

'I'm fine now, thank you,' she replied, smiling up to Rick as he leant down to place a kiss on her forehead.

'Good. Well then please, continue. Don't let me stop you from what you were doing. I'll be off now,' she replied, making both Kate and Rick blush profusely.

'Back to the Hamptons?'Asked Rick hopefully.

'No dear. While I'm here I might as well get some shopping in,' she smiled back at him, making Castle frown at her over-use of his credit card.

'See you later' she called over her shoulder. 'And Kate, it's nice to see you again, welcome to the family,' and with that she was gone. Kate let out a shaky breath and leant back against the counter with a bemused expression upon her face. Kate and Rick's eyes met as they burst into laughter.

'Well that was a surprise,' he stated, eyes wide.

'I can't believe your mum just caught us making out in your kitchen like horny teenagers,' she groaned, leaning forward to rest her head on his chest. She felt his chest vibrate as he laughed.

'Come on, we should probably finish breakfast and get ready. We don't want Alexis coming home early and finding us having sex in your kitchen, I somehow don't think she'd be as welcoming as your mother was,' she raised an eyebrow and poured out the batter.

They finished breakfast and Kate put on the clothes she'd brought with her the previous night. They were chatting away at the breakfast bar when they both heard a key turn in the lock. Kate's face immediately had an anxious look on it as she rotated on the stool to face the door.

'Hi dad, how was your-,' Alexis started, before stopping when she saw Kate. 'Detective Beckett, what are you doing here?' She asked, her voice cold and she had a frown plastered on her forehead.

'Please, it's Kate, Alexis,' Kate replied, nervously, shooting the young girl a small smile. Alexis nodded back at her. 'I'm...' she trailed off, not really sure where to start. Castle saw her hesitation so he moved round the island to stand next to Kate. Kate felt his warm fingers creep under her shirt and softly stroke her spin, attempting to soothe her.

'Actually pumpkin, we wanted to talk to you,' Castle replied, smiling brightly at her. Alexis looked confused and looked back and forth from her dad to Kate. She slowly walked towards them and crossed her arms, appearing defensive.

'Well sweetheart, Kate and I wanted to tell you that, well we've had a talk and discussed everything and we wanted to tell you that we're together now,' he told her, holding his breath, waiting for her reaction.

'This is sudden,' she replied frostily. Kate opened her mouth to speak but Alexis cut her off.

'What changed? No wait let me guess, my dad came crawling back to you as always and you, feeling sorry for him, decided to indulge him for a while,' she spouted out.

'Alexis!' Rick growled.

'No dad, I'm not done. Or how about this? Did he wine and dine you at the most expensive restaurant in New York and you decided that the best way to thank him was the screw him and then next week you'll decide that maybe you don't actually like him and it's time for him to leave the precinct,' Alexis, rattled on, fuming.

'Alexis!,' Rick hissed again. 'How dare you speak to me like that and Kate too,' he shouted at her, as Kate just sat gobsmacked.

'Sorry, Kate,' she seethed with extra sarcastic emphasis on her name. Alexis turned and fled up the stairs as they heard a door slam.

**This chapter wasn't really heading exactly where I wanted it to go, I didn't expect Martha to pop up but you know what she's like and Castle and Beckett just kept jumping each other. Next up: A serious talk with Alexis. Hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	6. Chapter 6

Castle started to walk towards the stairs but was stopped by Kate's hand on his chest.

'Rick, can I go?' she asked him quietly. He nodded and she reached up to place a soft kiss on his cheek. 'Make some hot chocolate or something. Calm down.' She told him, walking up the stairs. Kate found Alexis's bedroom and knocked gently.

'Go away dad, I don't want to talk to you,' came the muffled reply.

'It's not your dad, it's Kate,' she said calmly, pushing the door open slightly.

'Great, because I definitely want to talk to you,' she muttered sarcastically under her breath. Kate pushed open the door fully to see Alexis sitting cross legged on her bed, pretending to be engrossed in a book.

'It's not like that Alexis,' Kate told her quietly.

'Like what?' came the cold reply. Alexis still pretended to be engrossed in her book.

'The way you made it sound, between me and your dad, shallow. It was never about the money, you know that and I resent you saying I used him for sex,' she told her firmly. Yes, Kate wanted to get on with Alexis but there was no way she was going to let her get away with what she said. Kate came further into the room, before she reached the bottom of Alexis's bed. 'Alexis... come on, I know you're not my biggest fan but-' she was cut off.

'Not your biggest fan! Kate, my dad was a wreck! You should have seen him! And it was all because of you, and you stringing him along for months! How could you do that to him? I thought you cared about him!'

'Look, I know I should have told him sooner but I was scared. I wanted to tell him. I lo-' she trailed off, before sighing and closing his eyes. Why couldn't she just say it? 'I care about your dad, so much, and I can't stand seeing him upset, especially if it's because of me,' she looked to Alexis who had now put her book down and was looking at Kate with a quizzical look upon her face. 'We've sorted things out now. I'm trying so hard to be the person he deserves and I want to be there for you too. You're the biggest part of Castle's life, if we can't get on then there's no hope for our relationship,' she looked Alexis squarely in the eyes, walking towards her and perching on the edge of her bed. 'Will you give me a chance?' Kate asked in a small voice. She never thought she'd be intimidated by a teenage girl, especially Alexis Castle.

Alexis sighed deeply and scooted forward on the bed, closer to Beckett.

'Oh Detective Beckett I'm sorry for being such a bitch. You got to understand though, my dad is the most important thing in the world to me, so I have to protect him! It was just a shock, because the last time we spoke about you he was talking about leaving and it was all so confusing,' she replied.

'I know,' Kate replied, smiling gently at the fierce red-head.

'I'm sorry about what I said before, you know, about you using him for sex and money,' Alexis flushed and Kate grimaced, embarrassed. 'I didn't mean it, I was just really angry. My dad seems really happy and I know that it's because of you and if you make him happy then I'm happy. Just promise me you won't leave him? He doesn't deserve it,' she told Kate firmly, her eyes still holding some lingering resentment and worry.

Beckett reached forward and placed a hand on Alexis's knee. The young girl didn't pull away which was a start for Beckett.

'You're dad makes me really happy too and I promise you I won't leave, I couldn't if I tried,' she smiled fondly at Alexis. 'Are we ok now?' Beckett asked softly, not quite meeting the girl's eyes, scared of her rejection. Kate suddenly felt a pair of arms latch round her neck and a flash of red hair pressed against her. Kate relaxed into her and reciprocated the hug. They pulled away, slightly teary-eyed. They laughed at each other for being over-emotional and pulled in for another hug, rubbing each other's backs soothingly.

'Come on, we should probably head downstairs before your dad comes up thinking we've killed each other,' Kate smiled, standing and holding out a hand to pull Alexis off the bed. Alexis laughed and joined Kate before wrapping an arm round her waist as Kate put one round her shoulders.

'Yes you're probably right. I think he's expecting world war three and I almost guarantee he's been listening in to our conversation,' she raised an eyebrow at Kate.

Castle heard the sound of a bedroom door being opened and scurried back towards the kitchen, anxiously waiting. He had tried to listen in to their conversation but wasn't able to properly hear most of what was being said. He attempted to act as nonchalantly as possible as they descended the stairs but his mouth gaped open at the sight of them with their arms round each other.

'Castle close your mouth,' Kate smirked at him.

'Yeah Dad, you'll catch flies,' Alexis added, grinning up at Kate. Castle stuttered for a second before composing himself. He glanced at Kate and she beamed back at him, silently letting him know that everything was ok.

'What now you two are ganging up on me? That's not fair!' he whined, pushing two hot chocolates across the breakfast bar to Alexis and Kate.

'Oh Castle, we're not ganging up on you,' Kate replied, taking a long gulp of her hot chocolate.

'Just mutually recognising a fault of yours,' Alexis finished as Kate flashed her a grin.

'Oh dear daughter and what might that be?' he said, moving round the bar to pull Alexis into a hug, looking down at her frowning. Kate smirked before looking over and stating calmly,

'Gawping.'

**Apologies for the short chapter but I've just finished all my exams so I've been super busy but I'll try and update again soon with something longer thanks to everyone who has subscribed/reviewed!**


	7. Chapter 7

After enjoying their hot chocolate immensely and having a good time listening to Alexis tell them all about her night, Rick and Kate felt exhausted. The past couple of days had been tough on everyone. Alexis sensing their weariness, politely excused herself and headed up to her room, but not before placing a kiss on her dad's cheek and giving Kate a quick hug. Kate had a surprised look on her face as Alexis took made her way upstairs. She looked towards Castle who was looking at her adoringly.

Once Rick heard his daughter's door click shut he opened his mouth to ask her about their conversation when he saw fully just how tired she was. Her eyelids were drooping and she couldn't prevent a yawn from escaping. The conversation could wait. The events of the past couple of days were clearly catching up with her as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

'Kate, why don't you take a nap, just for a couple of hours,' Castle suggested, walking over to her and running his hand down her arm, soothingly.

'No Castle, we're meant to be going to brunch,' she replies, mid yawn.

'Alexis won't mind, we'll go for dinner instead and then we'll have the pleasure of my mother joining us,' he said grimacing slightly. Beckett smirked up at him.

'No, really it's fine. I'm just going to go and sit down for a little while and build up my energy,' She replied, pushing herself off the stool and unsteadily walking towards the sofa.

Castle frowned at her stubbornness and sighed slightly before turning to wash up the mugs. He walked over to the sofa a couple of minutes later to find the detective fast asleep, sprawled out. He looked down at her adoringly. It probably wasn't good for her to sleep like this, especially if she was recovering from all those injuries she sustained in the fight. He quietly bent down and gently scooped her up. Beckett didn't even wake, she simply snuggled her head into his neck as he transported her into his bedroom. After tucking her in and placing a small kiss on her forehead, he returned to the sofa and began to write.

Almost an hour later he heard footsteps approaching and looked up to find Alexis standing over him.

'Dad, what are you doing for lunch?' she asked plopping herself down next to him.

'Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to come to brunch with us but Beckett is wiped out and is sleeping at the moment. Why don't I make my chicken pasta special for you and we can head out for dinner this evening?' He asked.

Alexis let out a grin and reached forward to hug her dad.

'I'm sorry about earlier-' She started to say but Castle cut her off.

'Pumpkin, forget about it. I understand.' He smiled warmly at her, placing a small kiss to her forehead. They both rose and headed towards the kitchen. Alexis jumped up on one of the stools and watched as her dad meandered about the kitchen, getting out ingredients.

'So, is Kate ok?' Alexis asked, with a look of concern etched upon her face.

'Don't worry sweetheart. She's just exhausted. She's had a pretty rough couple of days and I think they've all caught up with her,' he replied, smiling up at her. 'It's good that she's resting and actually allowing herself to take some time out for once and I know she is looking forward to dinner tonight.'

'Good. Me too dad,' Alexis smiled back.

They ate together and chatted about Alexis's plans for the week ahead. Castle put some leftovers in a Tupperware pot for Kate.

'Alright, Alexis, I'm going to go wake Kate now. She had some things she wanted to do this afternoon,' He said coming round the island to embrace his daughter. She squeezed him back tightly.

'Ok Dad. I'm gonna pop out and meet Cassie for some coffee but I'll see you guys later,' she said, hopping down and walking over to the front door. She grabbed her coat and swung out the door merrily.

He strolled into his bedroom, pausing in awe to look upon her sleeping body. In her sleep she had somehow managed to almost completely remove the covers and was lying on her back, spread across the bed with her mouth slightly open. Small snores were coming from her mouth making Castle laugh silently. He walked over to her and gently perched on the edge of the bed. The movement stirred her slightly as she rolled towards him and grabbed hold of his shirt. She fisted it as a small child would and murmured softly. Castle reached out and stroked a loose curl out of her face, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her parted lips. God he could get used to this. Watching her wake up everyday.

Castle pulled back to watch her slowly awake and come to her senses. She blinked up at him, removing her hand from his shirt to rub her eyes.

'Mm Castle what time is it?' she slurred.

'Almost three,' he replied. 'You've been out for a good couple of hours.' He watched as her brain caught up with what he was saying.

Castle watched as she yawned and stretched, frowning when he saw her wince at certain movements. He turned and reached into the drawer beside the bed and pulled out the bottle of painkillers. He handed her two and she gratefully sat up slowly and took them quickly.

'Thanks Castle,' she smiled sleepily at him. 'I really needed that.' She sighed deeply and let herself flop back onto the soft pillows behind her.

'What's wrong?' He asked her concerned.

'I should really go and talk to Gates now, I'm just not looking forward to it,' She mumbled, picking at some fluff on the covers.

'Do you want me to come?' He asked sweetly, pulling her face towards him so he could look into her eyes.

'I thought you already did?' She said with a smirk, pulling her lip between her teeth seductively. Castle let out a breathy laugh and raised an eyebrow at her.

'My, my detective, get your mind out the gutter,' He laughed at her. She sat up and placed a searing kiss upon his lips. She hummed against him and pulled away slightly.

'You're sweet. But I think this is something I should do on my own,' She told him kindly.

He smiled at her understandingly.

'No problem. I've got some of my famous chicken pasta for you if you're hungry before you head out?' He asked, moving to stand in the doorway.

'Thanks Rick. Let me just freshen up and I'll be right out,' She beamed at him from her seated position on the bed. Castle exited swiftly to go and prepare her food as Beckett flopped back down onto the bed. It was going to be a long day.

**I'm so so sorry for not updating sooner but life has been pretty crazy recently. Had some ups and downs and I've been away but I'm going to try and update before I go away again next week. I know this chapter is short but next up expect a chat with Gates and a family dinner.**


	8. Chapter 8

Beckett paced across the small box elevator, wishing it would just hurry up and arrive at its destination before she had a nervous breakdown. She could feel Castle's chicken pasta gurgling around in her stomach. The elevator pinged signaling its arrival at the 12th precinct and the doors opened. Beckett took a deep breath and stepped into the all so familiar territory. She looked over to what used to be her desk, now piled high with boxes of documents, stashed there with no purpose whatsoever.

Ryan didn't appear to be around either. One fewer thing to deal with she thought. Beckett reached Gate's door and sighed deeply before raising her hand to knock. Inwardly she groaned at the thought of apologizing to captain Gates.

The woman herself pulled open the door, merely seconds after this thought. Beckett saw brief shock flick across the captain's face, before she carefully schooled her features into a grimace.

'Beckett. What are you doing here?' She asked grimly, not letting her into her office just yet.

'Sir, if I could, can I come in?' she asked, refusing to be intimidated by her.

'Quickly. I don't have long, we are down a detective you know,' she frowned at her. Beckett entered and closed the door behind her.

'Sir, I just wanted to apologize for my conduct the other day. It was unacceptable and I regret it.' She stated firmly.

'To be totally honest with you Beckett, I'm surprised you're here. Especially apologizing to me. I didn't think you'd change your tune.' Gates replied, raising an eyebrow at Kate. 'What changed?' she asked, curiously.

'I realized that I was so blinded by myself that I failed to think about my team, which is something I had always prided myself on. Teamwork. Castle helped remind me that my life was worth more than my mother's murder.' She half-smiled at Gates. Gates smiled and nodded back.

'Well I'm glad to hear that Beckett,' She replied.

Beckett took this as the end of the conversation and bowed her head. She started to walk over to the door and as her hand reached the handle Gate's voice sounded.

'See you in a few weeks detective,' Gate's voice resonated through her office. Beckett looked up at her shocked to see her bent over paperwork.

'What? I resigned sir,' Beckett questioned.

'Well I don't accept resignations unless they are in writing so if you want to fill out the appropriate paperwork then please do, otherwise I'll see you in a couple of weeks detective Beckett,' Gates replied, still engrossed in her paperwork.

Beckett stood shell-shocked for a few seconds before composing herself.

'Ok, thank you Captain,' She replied, confused as she exited the office. She heard Gates hum in agreement as she closed the door, a small smile on her face.

She was a detective again and it had never felt so right.

**Once again, I'm so sorry for my lack of update and for this awfully short chapter. I'm going away so don't expect anything for about 2 weeks. Thank you to everyone who is still following this story.**


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